Wireless communication devices are continuously integrating new and enhanced features, that leverage an ability to remotely transmit and receive data using wireless communication capabilities. As the features are added and/or enhanced, there often is a need to communicate wirelessly, an ever increasing amount of information/data in order to support the added and/or enhanced features of the device. This need for additional data throughput impacts both the overall operation of the network, as well as the data throughput relative to individual devices operating within the network.
The overall desire for higher data throughput for at least some cellular networks has led to at least some networks implementing support for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) forms of communication, including for example 4×4 MIMO relative to one or more bands of operation, while simultaneously supporting carrier aggregation. MIMO is a method for expanding the capacity of a radio link using multiple transmit and receive antennas, where multipath propagation properties are used to distinguish between different sets of signaling sent simultaneously over the same radio channel via separate antennas. MIMO is distinct from other throughput enhancement techniques developed to augment the performance of a propagated data signal, such as a beamforming signal processing technique and/or a multiple antenna diversity scheme. Carrier aggregation allows a number of separate carriers to be combined into a single data channel to enhance the data rates and data throughput capacity relative to a particular user.
While many prior communication techniques combined the performance of a pair of antennas in support of a communication connection, a 4×4 MIMO technique expands this requirement for multiple antennas in support of a communication connection even further, so as to include at least four antennas. Such an expansion in support of MIMO communications can be further complicated by the simultaneous implementation of carrier aggregation, which could further extend the operational requirements relative to at least some of the antennas to take into account a simultaneous operation involving signaling that potentially includes a broader range of frequencies.
At least some of the more recent implementations of Long Term Evolution (LTE) type cellular networks have expanded the type of possible communication connections to include 4×4 MIMO with carrier aggregation, where at least initially, the carrier aggregation involves both mid frequency bands (MB) and the high frequency bands (HB). LTE is a fourth generation mobile communication standard.
While the definition for the different bands are somewhat fluid, and can vary between different standards, and/or various implementations of the same standard, at least one exemplary approximation of the range of frequencies for each of the different bands includes a low band, which can include frequencies below 1400 MHz; a mid band, which can include frequencies between 1400 MHz and 2200 MHz; and a high band, which can include frequencies higher than 2200 MHz. These values and/or ranges are only exemplary approximations, and can change between systems and/or implementations. In some cases, an ultra low band and/or an ultra high band can also be further defined.
In addition to the multiple antennas needed to support various forms of communication, additional circuitry may also be needed to support the relaying of signals between the multiple antennas and the one or more receivers and/or transmitters. Examples of additional circuitry include switches, duplexers, diplexers, filters, and/or amplifiers, which can at least sometimes be associated with what in some instances can be referred to as radio frequency front end circuitry.
Because there can be a desire to limit the overall size of a user device, the implementation of the antennas and circuit elements, which support wireless communication can sometimes be a challenge. There is rarely a lot of extra space, so there can be a desire to the extent possible to implement the enhanced communication features while minimizing the amount of any additional circuitry or components. This can result in a preference for reusing antennas and circuit elements with as many types and/or forms of communication as possible. This can create a challenge as to the best way to map wireless communication signal paths between the one or more transceivers and the various antennas and/or radiating structures.
The present innovators have recognized that the use of switches, which allow for multiple throws to be simultaneously closed can be used to better facilitate the coupling of various sets of signals respectively associated with multiple different frequency bands of operation to a corresponding one of multiple antennas in support of carrier aggregation and MIMO operation. The present innovators have further recognized that in some instances, such a coupling can help to reduce the impact to other bands, while also reducing the instances in which adding additional antenna elements may be preferred.